The Commonerc
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 13f NO. 14
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 11, 1913
Whole Number 638
A Democratic Message
President Wilson's first message to congress
is thoroughly democratic. Like most of Mr.
Wilson's writings it will boar re-reading.
Under the circumstances it must bo regarded aB
a great public paper. This is so because it dis
plays wisdom in its devotion to one subject
the tariff; and for the further reason that it
deals with that subject in the frank and
thorough fashion that has already' come to be
accepted as the Wilson characteristic.
There is, first, the recognition of the duty
laid upon the party in power at the recent
elections the duty of doing something that
shall actually give the people relief. The pro
gram suggested is not an abnormal one. On
the contrary, it is an effort to restore harmony
in our fiscal affairs. There have been radical
changes in the conditions of our economic life
during the last generation, but, in the language
of the president and this paragraph should
be held firmly before the eyes of those who
object to tariff changes in the language of the
presidont: "While the whole face and method
of our industrial and commercial life were be
ing changed beyond recognition the tariff
schedules have remained what they wore be
fore the change began, or have moved in the
direction they were given when no large cir
cumstance of our industrial development was
what it is today. Our task is to square them
with the actual facts. The sooner that is done
the sooner we shall escape from suffering from
the facts and the sooner our men of business
will be free to thrive by the law of nature (the
nature of free business) instead of by the law
of legislation and artificial arrangement."
There is here no apology to the Bystem that
stands today frankly for plunder where a gene
ration ago its advocates honestly regarded it as
patriotic. According to the president it is now
"direct patronage of the government" for the
private industries of the country which were
once merely to be "protected." In the building
of our tariff schedules the thought uppermost
in the builders' minds has been "to give each
group of manufacturers or producers what they
themselves thought that they needed in order
to maintain a practically exclusive market
against the rest of the world." As a result of
this bad practice we have built up a' set of
privileges behind which monopoly has been
organized and the result is that "nothing is nor
mal, nothing is obliged to stand the tests of
efficiency-and economy, In the world of big busi
ness, but everything thrives by concerted ar
rangement." In the president's view, "the object of the
tariff duties henceforth laid must be effective
competition,'lhe whetting of American wits by
CONTENTS
PRESIDENT WILSON'S FIRST MESSAGE
TO CONGRESS
FLOOD PREVENTION
AMSTERDAM'S MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
OF PAWNSHOPS
DEATH PENALTY AND HOLY WRIT
CHINA'S GRATITUPE
MR. BRYAN BEFORE THE UNION
LEAGUE AT CHICAGO
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
contests with the wlta of the rest of the world."
He does not advise that this courso be adopted
with "reckless hasto" but it is our business to
discover genuine remedies and then apply them.
The anxiety to avoid "reckless hasto" is not to
bo taken as an excuse for a do-nothing policy.
On tho contrary, the president makes it clear
that when tho tariff program has been com
pleted it will commend itself to tho intelligent
American citizen who well understands tho
difference between political bombast and pa
triotic effort.
President Wilson has, in a nutshell, outlined
the democratic program on tho tariff question
and his first message to congress will bo given
a place by democrats alongside of his splendid
Inaugural address.
THE "CROSS OF GOLD"
The Literary Digest, in Its reproduction of
newspaper comments upon what it calls
"Rescuing China from tho Cross of Gold," says:
The crucifixion of China upon a cross of gold
would naturally bo repugnant to an adminintra
tlon whose foreign affairs are in the hands of tho
present secretary of state, and our keen edi
torial observers see in tho disapproval of tho
Chinese loan a similar chilling attitude toward
the entire Taft program of "dollar diplomacy."
By "dollar diplomacy" the press mean the uso
of government influence to aid and protect our
bankers and traders in their transactions with
Latin-American republics and with China, a
striking example being our armed interference
in tho revolution in Nicaragua. In China's case
it now appears from the president's statoment
that the Taft administration requested our
bankers to join in tho "six-power" loan to
China, a loan so onerous in its terms as "to
touch very neaTly tho administrative indepen
dence of China itself," and it has been openly
charged by our advocates of recognizing the
Chinese republic, that recognition has been de
layed by all the powers to put the screws on
China and force acceptance of the loan. Now
tho Wilson administration explicitly disapproves
tho entire Chinese transaction, and most of
those who wore waiting for an unequivocal
declaration of tho now administration's attitude
toward "dollar diplomacy" are satisfied by the
president's statement that this policy of tho
Knox regime has been definitely repudiated.
Tho change of front is made more emphatic by
tho resignation of Huntington Wilson, assis
tant secretary of state, who was closely identi
fied with tho development of "dollar diplomacy"
under Secretary Knox. As tho Springfield Re
publican sums it up, the present administra
tion takes the stand that "banking houses mak
ing foreign loans can not have Uncle Sam as
their collecting agent."
TIIE FIRST FOUR WEEKS
With the close of tho first month of Presi
dent Wilson's administration general satisfac
tion is expressed by men of all political parties.
The American people have, clearly, Implicit faith
in the new president. Tho Boston (Mass)
Traveler recently printed this editorial:
"President Wilson closeB the fourth week of
his first term. Thus far ho has not done many
unusual things, but he has dono some usual
things in an unusual way. It is too early to
say that ho has made good, but it is not too
early to say that he is beginning like a presi
dent who will make good. There is not a linger
ing doubt that he will be his own man, and the
number of democrats who have not already
learned that fact is few, as far as prominence
goes, and unimportant as far as numbers go.
He is acting every day like a President who
intends as far as possible to live up to his
reputation, as well as to the platform of his
party, and it Ib no moro probable that ho will
bunco the people than that he will allow him
self to be buncoed by so-called friends of tho
people. So far ho has made mighty few mis
takes. Every patriotic citizen, regardless of his
pplitlcs, will rejoice that this is so."
Flood Prevention
For years the pooplo of tho lower Mississippi
and those living at Intersections of tho Ohio and
Mississippi rivers have boen subjocted to lossei
and groat inconveniences through floods. There
has been considerable discussion and some
effort in a small way to reliovo these conditions.
The recent floods will sorvo to direct nttcntion
to a duty tho discharge of which has all too
long been neglected. Engineers agroo that tho bad
conditions referred to could bo prcvonted through
tho application of laws with which engineers
are familiar. Tho sections affected by theso
floods Ho in tho very heart of tho United States
and it goes without saying that extraordinary
efforts ought to bo made to protect theso aoc
tions. The work of protection should bo com
menced In earnest and should bo carried to suc
cessful conclusion even though it requires an
enterprise on a scale so largo as the Panama
canal. A comprehensive engineering plan will
provide the people living in tho heart of America
with protection from floods. This Is the opinion
of experienced engineers. Tho good work can
not be commenced any too soon. Such an enter
prise Is In harmony with tho pledge glvon by the
democratic national convention for 1912. The
Baltimore platform declared:
"Tho present devastation of the lower Mis
sissippi valley accentuates tho movement for
the regulation of river flow by additional bank
and lovco protection below, and tho diversion,
storage and control of tho flood waters abovo,
and their utilization for beneficial purposes In
tho reclamation of arid and swamp lands and
development of watcrpower, Instead of permit
ting tho floods to continue, as heretofore,
agents of destruction. Wo hold that tho control
of the Mississippi river is a national problem;
the building of levees to maintain tho
integrity of Its channel, and the prevention of
tho overflow of the land and Its consequent
devastation, resulting in tho Interruption of
interstate commerce, the disorganization of tho
mail service and tho enormous loss of life and
property, Imposes an obligation which alone can
be discharged by tho general government."
Let this platform plank be faithfully carried
out.
EXPRESS BUSINESS
Express companies In a brief filed with tho
Interstate commerce commission, claim that
through tho now parcel post they lost In Febru
ary revenues from small packages amounting
to nearly five hundred thousand dollars. Tho
express companies' attorney failed to say, how
ever, that for years his clients have been violat
ing the law in carrying tho small packages that
are explicitly forbidden by existing statutes front
going through tho express and explicitly re
served for tho mail.
, WILLIAM J. NORTHERN
William J. Northern, former governor of
Georgia, is dead, .but, his memory will long bo
treasured by men, women and children who
were inspired by his ever-willing service to
society. Governor Northern was a modest man
but the great work ho did was known outside
of his own state and many men of all sections
and of all parties will join with his Georgia
friends in keeping his memory green.
TENNESSEE AND PENNSYLVANIA
Tennessee' and Pennsylvania have ratified the
proposed amendment to the federal constitutlom
providing for the direct election of United State
senators. Pennsylvania in the thirty-fifth state
to ratify. Only one more state Is needed to
complete the good work.